Licensed
by Sam deLittle
Summary: After receiving his badge back, Kevin has to confront not only his mother, but his wounding past. Kevin-past fic with a bit of Gwevin.


**Author's Note: **I'm sure everyone loved "Darkstar Rising" as much as I did! Best episode EVER. Season 2 in general is shaping up to be AWESOME. I loved "Alone Together" as well, but "Darkstar Rising" was full of Gwevinny Goodness, so my fangirl half LOVED it to pieces. And, of course, after hearing about Kevin's past, I wanted to write a fic devoted to it.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Ouch! That – hurts!"

"Just hold still Kevin, honey."

"I'm not a baby!" Kevin snapped, crossing his arms in front of his chest as his mother tied his bow-tie tighter. He was only nine years old, but he looked rather handsome in his tuxedo and black bow tie. His mother had even taken the trouble to comb his hair back and give it a trim. He always wanted it long, but neither his mother nor his step-father would stand for it.

Kevin's mother was undeniably beautiful – she was the spitting image of her son: dark hair, pale skin, and chocolate brown eyes. Tall and graceful with her hair pulled back into a beautiful up-do. The only thing Kevin had inherited from his father was his hook-nose and long gangly frame.

Well, that wasn't _all_ he had inherited from his father.

Kevin's mother finished tying his bow tie and he ran over to the television to continue watching the cartoon that had been interrupted. "Kevin! We have to go! Your father's waiting!" his mother reprimanded, stepping forward and turning off the TV with the remote. Kevin growled and ran up to the TV.

He pressed his hands against the set, and before his mother could stop him, he had sucked energy out of it like lightning and turned it back on, his hands still sparking. "Kevin Ethan Levin! What have I _told _you about doing that?!" she screamed, turning off the TV again. Kevin simply threw some of the juice in his hands at the TV, turning it back on. "That's _it_, young man! You're grounded!"

"I'm already grounded!" he whined. "Dad grounded me last week remember?"

"Then you're grounded longer!" she snapped. "No TV at all for the next three weeks!"

"Whatever," Kevin snapped, standing up and walking towards the door. "We're going to be late, right?"

"You better watch your attitude young man!" she remarked. "And your abilities! You know your father doesn't like you using them!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed," he remarked sarcastically, and his mother grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door of their home towards the car. "I don't see why I can't use my powers anytime I want! I mean, why else should I have them?"

"Look – your father's right," his mother insisted. "The last thing you need is to show off your powers and frighten people. You don't have good control either – you could hurt someone, or worse…someone could hurt you."

Kevin scoffed, "Who's going to hurt me? I'd kick anyone's butt who tried to—"

"You don't understand," his mother insisted as they both got into the car and buckled their seatbelts. "The world isn't kind to…" she paused, and then started the car, "…people like you."

"You mean 'freaks'," Kevin muttered under his breath, repeating the word that his father had used so often to describe Kevin.

"Look, let's not fight anymore," his mother smiled, and Kevin rolled his eyes. That was his mother's problem – she hated fighting, hated being confrontational. A bit of a doormat, especially when it came to her husband. "Let's just go to your Dad's award ceremony and have a nice, normal dinner, okay? You have my cell phone number right? In case you get lost?"

Kevin pulled the index card with his mother's phone number out of his jacket, blushing a bit. "I'm not gonna get lost!"

"You might wander off – it's a big building. Just ask an adult to call me, okay?"

"Whatever."

His mom looked at him and stroked his head at a stop-light. "I love you, you know that, right?"

Kevin frowned and didn't say anything.

* * *

"If there's one thing this city needed, it was a hero," an older gentleman, the police commissioner of New York City, said into the microphone on the stage. Kevin and his mother had arrived at a fancy award ceremony dinner where his step-father would be receiving an award for his service to the city as District Attorney. "And I'm gonna be honest – when Vladimir Levin walked into my office, I wasn't sure he was 'hero' material." Everyone laughed at that, and Kevin turned his head to look at his step-father, who was holding his mother's hand and looking proudly up at the stage. Vladimir, or Vlad, as most called him, was tall, in an overbearing way, with large shoulders and dark brown hair that was slicked back. He was most certainly handsome, but in an almost artificial way – the kind of handsome Kevin expected out of Ken dolls. "But Vlad, you proved me and the entire department wrong. The crime rate has never been lower, and you've been an icon of justice.

"So I'm proud to present the Alfred Hancock Prich Award for Amazing Service to the City of New York to Vlad Levin." With that, the older man took out a large gold statue in the shape of a tall sky-scraper and held it up for everyone to see. The crowd broke out into applause and cheering as Kevin's step father rose from his seat and walked on stage to receive his award and give his acceptance speech.

"Thanks everyone," he said, his deep voice resonating through the microphone. "Look, this award has my name on it, but we're _all_ responsible for the great work we've doing cleaning up our streets. When I came into this job, there were a lot of good men – you guys – who weren't getting your dues and weren't getting the help you needed. It's an honor to work with each and every one of you every day." Applause rose again, and Kevin clapped almost automatically, wondering when the food would arrive. "But there are a few specific people I'd like to thank. Commissioner Franklin, for this honor, and for that lovely intro you gave me. My predecessor, Al Sherman. My lovely wife, and my son," he smiled down at Kevin's mom in particular, who smiled back, eyes misting over with happy tears that made Kevin want to puke. "Really – I dedicated myself to fighting crime for them, and people like them. I want my wife to be able to go shopping without being afraid of being mugged. I want my son to be able to walk to school with me—" Kevin rolled his eyes – like _that_ had ever happened, "or go play ball with his friends outside", another ridiculous claim – Kevin had no friends, "or go take a girl out on a date – when he's old enough of course, right honey?"

Kevin turned red, but his mother, and the rest of the guests, laughed. It was enough to make Kevin want to heave. Since when did his step-father care about any of that? It was a pretty little façade he put on to look like the perfect father. Had he ever told anyone that Kevin wasn't even his real son? He doubted it. He insisted Kevin call him "dad", and his mother went along with it, even though Kevin knew full well about his real father.

Kevin smirked as he thought on his real father. He'd never met him – he didn't even know his name. But he wasn't just cleaning up crime on the streets of New York – he was cleaning up streets throughout the entire galaxy. A Plumber, and a great one, according to his mother. He'd landed on Earth for a short time, just to touch base with the Earth branch in regards to some bad guy who Kevin had forgotten the name of. He probably wasn't that important, since he was gone now. But back in the day, he'd been major bad news, and Kevin's father had come down to help out with the search. As his mother told the story, they met unexpectedly, and she didn't even know he wasn't human until their relationship got serious. She became pregnant with Kevin, but before he was born, his father had been tragically killed on a mission.

At least, that was how his mother told the story. Kevin liked to believe that his dad was still alive, still out there fighting against intergalactic bad guys. Of course, his mother hardly ever mentioned his real father anymore. It wasn't a year after his real father had died that she had started seeing Vlad, and they fell "madly in love" as she liked to describe it.

Yes, Vlad was perfect in his mother's eyes. A strong, smart, compassionate guy who didn't care that she was a single mother with a "special needs" child. Yes, Kevin's abilities began to manifest rather early. Even when he was a toddler, he liked to suck energy out of things and play with it, often destroying furniture in the process. Apparently, his father had been a master absorber as well – but he controlled his powers far better than Kevin could. But Vlad, who was just so sweet, took her and her son in and cared for them as his family. They lived in a huge house, paid for by Vlad's handsome salary, investments, and inheritances, and Kevin's mother got every luxury she could ask for. Kevin himself had expensive presents dumped on him often – TVs, stereos, computers, and video games (Sumo Slammer was a particular favorite of his) all filled his room, keeping him busy for most of the day. Vlad liked Kevin more when he was in his room – out of sight, out of mind.

"Really," Vlad spoke, and Kevin realized that he hadn't been paying attention to the speech at all, "I think a true test of a man's character is how he treats his kids. And I think that Kevin could attest to my character," he smiled down at Kevin – a plastic smile that infuriated Kevin.

Kevin narrowed his eyes at Vlad, his pupils dilating, his hands beginning to twitch. He _hated_ Vlad. Really, really, _really_ hated. He hated him for being so fake, for calling him a "freak", for taking his mother away from him. He hated that everyone loved him cause he was some kinda "hero". He wasn't a hero. Kevin's _real_ father was a hero.

Kevin reached out and grabbed the electric lamp in the center of their table, and before his mother could stop him, he had sucked out the energy. Blue lightning circle around his wrist, his eyes glowed blue, his hair stood on end, and a maniacal smile spread out across his face. Vlad's eyes widened, as did Kevin's mother's. The entire group of guests turned around, trying to see what was going on.

With a sharp flick of his wrist, Kevin had shot the lightning up at the curtain behind Vlad, sparking it and causing it to catch on fire. Everyone screamed, but Kevin just laughed. Yeah – he could _definitely_ attest to how _fabulous_ a father Vlad was.

"Everyone, run! Fire!" someone screamed, and everyone shrieked and ran for their lives as the fire spread across the curtain. Vlad jumped down from the stage and ran to their table.

"What in God's name are you doing?!" he shrieked, grabbing Kevin by the collar and lifting his up. Kevin just smirked down at Vlad. "You little freak! I told you never to use those…powers! Look what you've done!"

"Oops! Sorry Daddy!" Kevin laughed maniacally. "Can't you forgive me? I mean, you love me so much!"

Vlad gritted his teeth and threw Kevin into a nearby table, causing him to cry out in pain. His mother gasped, but didn't bother to run to him. "Vlad! H-He didn't—"

"We have to get out of here!" he snapped, grabbing his wife's arm and pulling her away from the flaming stage.

"But Kevin!"

Vlad didn't respond, he just pulled Kevin's mother out of the building, Kevin still slumped in front of the table Vlad had thrown him into. His vision was fuzzy – his head had been knocked pretty hard. But Kevin slowly rose to his feet, knowing he had to escape the building before he was burnt to a crisp.

He staggered around, looking for his mother. But all he saw was her back as she was led out the door by her overbearing husband. Kevin narrowed his eyes in disgust and looked around. He made his way towards the exit, but was shocked to see Vlad slam the door behind him, automatically locking it.

Kevin's eyes grew wide, and he realized he was in big trouble. Vlad had just locked him inside the burning room with nowhere to go. He looked around feverishly, trying to find some escape. When he realized there was none, he tensed up, trying desperately to think of a solution.

"Guess I'll have to make my own exit!" he grunted, grabbing two more lamps off two other tables and absorbing the energy. He aimed the bolts at a nearby wall in the back and blasted through the concrete, creating a hole in the building. Sprinting towards his newly made exit, he climbed through the hole in the wall as the fire continued to consume the building.

* * *

"You're an abomination!"

"Vlad--!"

"A freak! A violent little freak!" Vlad spat in Kevin's face. The three of them were tucked into an alleyway, trying to avoid reporters and the police. No one had even seen Kevin come out of the building, and were frantically trying to put out the fires to look for the little boy. But Vlad and Kevin's mother had come around the back when they heard the explosion, knowing very well Kevin had blasted himself a way out.

"You were going to kill me!" Kevin screamed, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're not my father!"

"You've got that right," Vlad snarled. "Like I'd want a mutant for a son! I've put up with you long enough! You _ruined_ everything tonight! You've _been_ ruining everything for the past nine years!"

"You ruined _my_ life!" Kevin screamed. "And I'm—"

"I've put up with him long enough," Vlad turned to Kevin's mother, who was crying, shaking her head at her husband. "You can't ask me to do this anymore. Pretend like nothing's wrong with him. He's _dangerous_!" He turned and glowered at Kevin. "And to be quite honest – better off dead."

A sharp intake of breath hit Kevin as he heard Vlad's cold words, and his eyes drifted to his crying mother, who wasn't even looking Kevin in the eye. "M-M-Momma…"

"I've spent my career fighting against people like _him_!" he snapped. "A sociopath! A mongrel! A _freak_!"

That word had always hit Kevin hard – "freak". But for some reason, tonight, when Vlad said it with all the hate he could muster in his voice, Kevin finally understood what "freak" really meant:

Someone nobody could love.

"Momma…" Kevin murmured again, looking at his mom, wanting her to prove him wrong; wanting her to reach out and hold him and tell Vlad that she wouldn't leave her son. He wanted her to tell him he wasn't a freak – that he was just like his father, who she had loved far more than she ever loved Vlad. "Momma!" he cried out again, but his mother didn't speak.

Vlad grabbed her hand and pulled her away, "Kevin!" she shouted. "It'll be okay honey! You'll be fine! You're a big boy, right?"

"Momma!" he screamed.

"DON'T FOLLOW US!" Vlad screamed, still dragging his mother away. "DON'T FOLLOW US OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

"MOMMA!" he shrieked again, crying.

"It'll be okay, honey! You're just like your daddy!" she cried out, and Kevin stopped. "You're just like your dad, right? S-S-So you'll be fine, right?"

Kevin stared after her, still crying. But he didn't move or run after her any longer. He could tell, in her last desperate sentence, that his mother wasn't about to choose him over Vlad. No, she had made her decision and was rationalizing it, telling herself, more than her son, that he would be okay. His mother hated confrontation. And probably, deep down, she hated Kevin's powers.

Kevin watched them go, turning the corner of the alley.

That would be the last time he'd see them.

His tears finally stopped, and he turned to walk away, knowing very well he'd have to find somewhere to sleep tonight. Yes, tonight was his first night of many on the streets. He undid his uncomfortable bow-tie and opened up his jacket, only to have a small index card fall out. He bent over to pick it up, and read his mother's cell phone number still written on the card.

He frowned and folded the card, placing it in his pocket. He never thought he'd need it again. But he knew he'd like a reminder of his mother from time to time.

But would he go back to her?

No.

She had let him go. And if he went back, she would just choose Vlad over him again. Kevin was alone. He guessed that's where all freaks belonged.

* * *

It wasn't long before Kevin had heard radio and news reports of his "death" in the "tragic fire". No one knew exactly how it started – obviously no one had gotten a good look at him sucking out energy and shooting lightning bolts at the curtain. And even if anyone _had_ seen him, he or she would be too afraid to tell the truth for fear of looking crazy.

Vlad had gotten up and given a big, tearful speech to a bunch of reporters about his poor son who didn't deserve such an untimely death. Yes, Kevin had officially been erased from his step-father and mother's life. He grew his hair long, lost weight, stole clothes, and became a full time street urchin. Kevin Ethan Levin was dead. So he just went by "Kevin". Last names weren't important for someone who was all alone.

But Kevin wasn't destined to stay alone. No, apparently God had other things in mind for the energy-sucking boy. It wasn't two years after his abandonment that he met up with Ben Tennyson, an arrogant but good-hearted boy who would change his life. And although Kevin had trouble seeing it at first, his life definitely changed for the better.

Despite their bad feelings in the past, Kevin and Ben had somehow ended up teammates. And although Kevin hated to admit it, if it weren't for Ben, he'd never have ended up an intergalactic con-artist turned bad-guy-butt-kicker. Ben had offered him the option when he was just a kid:

"_You could come with us."_

But Kevin needed more time to heal. His mother leaving him behind had wounded him deeply, and he wasn't ready to have anyone take him in just yet. So he had pushed Ben, and everyone else, away, using power and fear to control those around him. That had wound him up in the Null Void for a couple of years, a place far scarier than the streets of New York.

Yes, it had taken Kevin five years to accept Ben's offer. But once he had, everything just seemed to fall into place with him.

He became a hero – fighting off bad guys and Highbreeds to save the world. He'd even earned Grandpa Max's respect, and had a few good laughs with the Tennysons along the way. He'd also met his greatest rival:

A crush.

When he had first met Gwen Tennyson, she was a loud-mouth, annoying, and a bit of a tomboy. But he'd still found her intriguing, in a subconscious sort of way.

"_Wait a minute…if that's Ben, who are you?_

"_I'm a hottie, can't you tell?!"_

Yeah. That was a _good_ line.

Too bad Kevin's knack for good lines seemed to have dried up lately, especially when faced with the stunning beauty of the fifteen year old Tennyson girl. She wasn't just beautiful, she was smart and headstrong and fun when she wanted to be. She was a good girl to a fault, but could kick alien butt when needed. When faced with a girl like that, Kevin found himself bumbling and screwing up more often than not.

Gwen and Ben had believed in him even when Kevin couldn't believe in himself. Even when he messed up (which was often) they gave him another chance, encouraging him to do the right thing. And after a while, doing the right thing came naturally. Whether it be saving truck drivers or driving across the state to find Gwen's brother, Kevin being a hero everyday.

He began to remind himself of his father. Whenever he imagined his father saving innocents across the universe, it brought a warm feeling to his chest, realizing he was following in his father's footsteps. He even had a Plumber's badge to prove it. He wasn't a failure – he wasn't a freak. He was a Plumber, just like his Dad.

So when Magister Ghillil had taken his badge, Kevin felt like everything he had worked so hard for had been shattered. That badge was the only thing separating him from his old ways – the only proof he had that he wasn't a total reject that was better off alone.

"_I need my badge back, Ben. It's the only thing that matters."_

Cause that badge was everything he wanted to be.

When he had gotten his badge back, along with official Plumber status, Kevin felt as though everything in his life could be forgotten and forgiven for only this moment. He was now officially a Plumber, just like his father.

And when he thought back to the night he had been left, he realized his mother had been right.

"_It'll be okay, honey! You're just like your daddy!" she cried out, and Kevin stopped. "You're just like your dad, right? S-S-So you'll be fine, right?"_

Yes.

He _was_ just like his father. And he was fine. Better than fine.

"Where are you going?" Ben asked, and Kevin turned around, almost unable to contain his joy.

"I have to go tell my Mom."

* * *

He walked back into his apartment, still staring at his badge as if it were a newborn child. Reluctantly, he placed it on the cluttered coffee table, switching on the lights as he did. His apartment, much like any teenage boy's room, was a horrible mess, littered with old pizza boxes, video games, and magazines. But he made his way through the mess towards his bedroom.

Slinking into his bedroom and turning on the lights, he climbed over the piles of dirty laundry to get to his dresser. He opened up the bottom drawer and rifled through the clothes until his fingers touched something familiar. He smiled and pulled out an old, crumbled and stain index card. It had gotten wet in the past seven years, and the numbers had faded a bit, but it was still legible.

He made his way back into the living room and picked up the receiver of his phone. With some trepidation, he dialed the number, forcing himself to push each button, his stomach churning slightly.

The phone began to ring, and Kevin felt himself wanting desperately to hang up. What would he say? He wished he'd thought out the conversation before hand. But the phone was already ringing; there was no turning back now. Maybe she'd changed her number in the past seven years. That was a definite possibility—

"Hello?"

Kevin's throat seemed to close as he heard his mother's voice came distinctly over the phone. It was slightly older in tone, slightly sadder even, but Kevin could tell. It was her. "Hello…"

"Who is this?" she asked.

"I'm…" he began, and then looked over at the coffee table where his badge lay. "Mom, it's me. It's Kevin."

The phone was silent for a second, "My son is dead and if this a joke—"

"Mom, it's me," he assured her.

"How dare you—"

"For my sixth birthday, you tried to bake me a cake but burned it black," he told her, "and then when I was seven, I broke my wrist and you nearly hit a tree driving to the hospital."

The phone was silent again, and Kevin realized his mother was coming to grips with the fact that this really _was_ her son, all grown-up, calling her. "Oh my God," she whispered. "It's really you?"

"Yeah, Mom," he nodded.

"Wh-where-wh-where are you?!" she stammered. "Do you want me to come and get you? Oh God, Kevin! I wanted to find you so many times, but I couldn't! I just couldn't! I'm so sorry!"

"Mom, I'm fine," Kevin assured her, trying to qualm his mother tearful panic. "Really, I'm doing good. I've got my own place now. And a car and everything."

"Wh-what? How? Where'd you get the money?"

"Umm…entrepreneur work," he murmured, using the only excuse that came to mind. "But I'm done with that now. I'm…I'm actually in a new line of work, Mom." He smiled and walked over to his coffee table to pick up his badge, the phone still in his other hand. "Mom, I'm a Plumber now."

"What?" she asked. "A Plumber?"

"Just like Dad," he smiled, fingering the badge fondly. "You're right Mom. I'm just like him."

"Kevin…I'm…I'm so proud of you," she cried. "Are you sure you don't want me to—"

"Hey Mom," Kevin interrupted her, and he felt his own eyes tearing up. "I think I need a bit more time…"

There was another pause, and he could hear his mother sniffling over the phone. "All right. I understand…"

Kevin smiled to himself. He knew very well that his mother was only acting out of guilt. That she would run back to Vlad the second he called her, and that Kevin was simply a harsh reminder of the biggest mistake she'd ever made. But it was important to him to tell her how well he'd turned out. He wanted to alleviate her suffering, if only a bit, by assuring her he was more than okay.

"I gotta go Mom," he said, his voice threatening to crack as he felt tears running down his face. "See you later, all right?"

"Good bye sweetie," she whispered. "I love you, you know that, right?"

And just like all those years ago, Kevin didn't say anything. He simply hung up the phone and broke down in tears, falling to the ground and clutching his badge to his chest, sobbing as he let the full impact of his mother's betrayal hit him for the first time in seven years.

His mother _did_ love him.

But not enough to protect him.

So he was going to protect her and everyone else. He was going to be a hero like his father and help people from being hurt like he was. He wasn't angry anymore – he was sad, he was hurt, and he was being _honest_ with his feelings for the first time in years.

He dried his tears and hugged his badge closer to his chest, the soft humming of its mechanical workings resonating through the silence of the room.


End file.
